Radiographic findings of degeneration in cervical spines of middle-aged soccer players.

Twelve amateur veteran soccer players (average age 40.1 +/- 5.4 years), who began playing in their teens and who were admitted with symptoms most likely to be related to cervical spondylosis, were examined by cervical radiography. Abnormal radiographic findings included: calcification of anterior longitudinal ligament (25%), anterior (75%) and posterior vertebral spurs (75%), ossicle between spinous processes (75%), calcification of nuchal ligament (Barsony) (58%), ossicle on spinous process (25%), and bony spur of Luschka's joints (83%). It was shown in the stress distribution by finite element method analysis that the stress in heading the ball was applied mainly to the lower parts of the cervical spine. The results of this analysis also corresponded well with some of the radiographic findings.